Getting head round Intervalometer

[woldsweather]

What I am trying to do is delay the imaging session for x news, eg to image 03.30-0500 for the Milky Way. In an ideal world I would include my Skywatcher Star Adventurer tracker but I guess I would need to be there for that?

I press set then with DELAY highlighted put a 1 (for example) in for one hour and hit set. I set long to 30s and have Canon DSLR on B setting I set N for 6 images. I set it going and it doesn't take any pics. Where am I going wrong? Haver spent hours on this and watched many videos.

[paul]

I have to remind myself every time I pick it up, I have the same intervalometer. The LONG value is the length of the exposure you want; the INTVL is exposure + pause time for each exposure.  (This allows for camera shake to subside or for time lapse photography).

 

For example: set LONG to 5 seconds and INTVL to 8 seconds and N to 10.  Hit "start", the LED goes red to indicate the shutter is open and it counts 5 seconds - beeping each second, then the shutter closes the LED goes green and the count continues down for the remaining 3 seconds silently. Then the next exposure starts until all 10 have happened. As you say DELAY is the count-down to when your session starts.

 

INTVL must equal exposure at least (so 0 seconds of pause time).

Edited April 1, 2022 by paul

[woldsweather]

OK thanks foir that. My head hurts just reading what you say and it'll take a while to sink in. I've copied it to a file and I WILL have to read it every time I use the intervalometer!

[paul]

I know😁!

 

Try it this way. Say you want to take five 60-second exposures, and you know that when the camera shutter opens it takes 3 seconds for the tripod to stop wobbling between each shot.

 

So you make LONG = 60 seconds, INTVL equal to 63 seconds, N= 5

 

 

[woldsweather]

I have set it to 1m delay then 30s exposure tyhen 35s interval and n=6. It takes no shots. The intervalometer counst down from 6 to 1 shot.

 

BTW Despite having Follow topic clicked I get no notification. I managed to find the link in history (something I haven't used for many many years) as I couldn't remember the name of the forum.

[woldsweather]

I don't know whether the central button has to be pushed in and slid forward however I tried it both ways with no luck.

[paul]

You don't need to touch that button to run the automated sequence. However, when you do press it the camera shutter should open and you are then taking a manual long exposure until you release the button. The latch is to keep the button pressed. Make sure it's not latched down.  Try the button it should work, if it doesnt then something other than your timer settings is wrong.

 

Is the camera in bulb mode? It should be to use the intervalometer for long exposures. If it's not in bulb mode then the intervalometer just acts like a remote control and triggers a picture to be taken with the exposure settings of your camera.

 

[woldsweather]

The camera is in bulb mode but pressing the main button on the intervalometer whilst it is doing its sequence doesn't open the shutter.

[paul]

does the button work when the sequence is not running? The button is intended for manual control when a sequence is not running. Using it will check if everything else is setup correctly.

 

If it doesn't work then check the connection and your camera settings.

[woldsweather]

No the button doesn't work when the sequence is not running. I was using it last week with the sequencer and it worked.

 

My other Intervalometer looks identical the connector is different for a different Canon model. I have got that taking 30s exposures with just a 5sec interval.

[paul]

If the button doesn't work then that intervalomter may not work with your camera at all. If the intervalo meter is compatible with your camera that button is connected directly to the camera bulb input and should work regardless of any other settings you choose. 

 

Regarding your other camera it sounds like you have the camera set for 30 seconds exposure and you are using the intervalometer just as a remote switch. Normally for astro work the camera should be set to "bulb" and then the intervalometer will work as I described in my previous posts defining how long the exposure will be. Bulb setting is how you take exposures longer than the camera's built in max of 30 seconds.